Valve for engines.



m4740329. PATBNTED 0012.6, 19.03.l o. w. YOUNG.

VALVE POR ENGINES.` APPLIQTON FILED NOV. 3. 1900. BBNHWDSEPT, 10, 1903.

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No. 740,729. PATENTED 00T. s, 190s. o. w. YOUNG.

VALVE FOR ENGINES. APPLIUATIoNI'ILIm Nov. 8. 1900. BENBWD SEPT. 1o, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

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VALVE EOE ENGINES. APPLIOATIONIILED NOV. B. 1900. BE-HEWBD SEPT. 10, 1903.

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PATENTED OCT. 6, 1903.

0. W. YOUNG. VALVE FOB. ENGINES. APPLIGATIQN FILED Nov. s. 1900. BBNEWBD'SEP'IL 1o, 1903.

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UNITED STATES Patented October 6, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

O'lIS W.- YOUNG, OF ROCKFORD, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ON E-HALF TO ORVILLE C. MANN, 0F NORA SPRINGS, IOWA.

VALVE Fo-R ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 740,729, dated October 6, 1903.

Application iiled November 8, 1900. Renewed September 10, 1903. Serial No. 172,693. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OTIS IV. YOUNG, a citi,- zen of the United States, residing at Rockford, in the county of Floyd and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valves for Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in engines, more especially in locomotive-engines and the objects of my improvements are, first, to increase their'efciency; and, second, to decrease the amount of their fuel consumption. To attain these objects, I secure a more economical steam distribution than has heretofore been found practicable by the mechan ism hereinafter described, and particularly set forth in the claims forming a part of ,this speciiication.

In the accompanying drawings is shown one form of a practical embodiment of the invention, but I Wish it distinctly understood that this form is employed for the purpose of illustration and that the improvements are not limited in their useful applications to the particular construction which is there de'- lineated.

In the drawings, Figure l represents a vertical sectional view of a cylinder and steamchest at the dotted line l l, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows'a sectional view of the cylinder, steamchest, and valve-gear at the dotted line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan of the steamchest with cover removed, a top view of the valvegear, and a sectional view of the steam-passages. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the cylinder at the line 4, Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the cylinder at the line 5 5. Fig. 6 shows a side view of the valve and steamchamber. Fig. y shows an end view thereof. Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of the valve, showing how it may be fitted with a relief-valve. Fig. 9 is a vertical view of the rockerarm; and Fig. l0 represents a side view of the valve gear and a sectional view of the steam-passages at the line l0 lO,`

Fig. 2.

Similarletters refer to similar parts through- K out the several views.

' In the drawings, G represents a frame, to which the cylinder H issecured in the ordinary manner. The cylinder proper is of the common fornnthe steam-ports I being directly over each end of the cylinder, as in the Oorliss type of engine.

The forms and arrangements of the steampassages and manner of conducting steam to and from the cylinder are claimed to be an improvement over methods previously used. Steam or other motive agent enters a steampassage J at J', Fig. 2, iiows into the steamchest K, Fig. l, enters an opening L, Figs. l, 3, and 5, and is conducted through a valve M into the cylinder. rlhe exhaust flows through the opposite steam-port I, Fig. l, into an eX- haust-passage N, Figs. l, 3, and d, thence through the smoke-stack to the atmosphere. The valves M, Figs. l, 1l, 5, 6, and 8, of which there are two,as plainly sho wn in the drawings, are formed to slide back and forth on semicircular valve-seats M', and the upper surface of the valves slide againstv semicircular hollow cavities or steam-chambers O. These chambers are provided with tubular projections P, which pass through stuffing-boxes Q 'to the steam-chest S and are held in position against the valves by steam-pressure from above. It is clearly apparent that if the valves and their engagingsurfaces are formed to iit each other steam-tight there will be very little friction between these parts, as the pressure upon the valves need be only sufficient to balance them well. The amount of this pressure will depend upon the amount of area in the end of the circular tube P, Fig. 3. This arrangement nicely balances the valves, and should the cylinder-pressure at any time exceed that of the steam chest permits the Valves to rise from their seats until the pressure is equalized. f Y

S indicates the common form of releasevalve for supplying air to the cylinder when not working steam.

The valves are operated `by eccentrics (not shown) and the common form of link T, Fig.

v10, which, through a rocker-arm U, rod V,

wrist-plateW, and cranks X, connected with the valves, Figs. 5, G, and 7, impart an oscillating motion to the valves. The valve-yokes Y, Figs. 5, 6, and 7, may be fastened to the IDO vIO

valve by bolts and nuts, as shown, or other suitable fastening, but this fastening must be sufficiently pliable or loose to allow close contact between the valves and their seats; also to permit them to rise slightly from their seats. lt will be observed that the stems of the valves M, to which the cranks X are secured, pass through the walls of the valvechambers at a place where they are not subject to leakage of live steam. The only leakage that can occur will be from exhaust-steam at a comparatively low pressure, thus obviating the necessity for packing the valve-stems, and it being only necessary to have a close fit between the collars on the valve-stems and the bonnets f.

In Fig. 8 I have shown the valve M provided with a small release-valve or auxiliary valve m, having a stem m, guided and working in holes m2 in the valves M. This valve m controls a port M', adapted to communicate with the inlet-port l of the cylinder. The release-valves m permit the escape of steam when the pressure is excessive in the cylinder without the necessity of the valves M lifting from their seats. lt will be observed that steam thus escaping is' not lost, but .flows back into the steam-chamber, and in the event of an engine running at a high rate of speed with steam shut off (as going downgrade, for instance) the value of this valve will be appreciated as serving to lessen the wear and jar which would otherwise be caused by the main valves being continually lifted from their seats.

The wrist;plate lV is mounted 011 a crank of a crank-shaft Z, journaled at its ends in bearings Z/, located between the steam-chests and the upwardly-extending portion of the walls of the exhaust-passages, and this shaft is held in a stationary position by the rod a, which is adjustably connected to the crankshaft and to an eccentric-strap b, as by means of adjusting-nuts a. The eccentric-strap embraces an eccentric c, rigidly secured to a lifting-shaft D, journaled in suitable bearings D', carried by a suitable part, as the frame G. The shaft D is provided with a rock-arm d2, having connected thereto an operatingrod d3. The shaft D is also connected, as by an arm d4 and link-hanger d5, to the link T. The result of this construction is that when the link T is raised by turning the liftingshaft to a central position the eccentric c, turning with the shaft, will change the position 'of the crank-shaft Z through the rod a and will lower the bearing of the crank-shaft Z, upon which the wristplate W oscillates, and as the link T is raised to its upper position the crankshaft Z will be moved back to its former position. The effect upon the valves of this lowering of the wrist-plate bearing as the link approaches a central position will be to change their relative positions toward each other, forcing them farther apart, for a purpose hereinafter explained.

R indicates a lubricant pipe having branches leading into the passage to thel valves,vwhere the suction ofsteam flowing through these passages will prevent the iiow of lubricant from becoming clogged in the pipe, and as every portion of the valves and their engaging surfaces are at some period of their movement exposed either to live or exhaust steam saturated with lubricant a perf ect lubrication of all of the parts subject to friction is the result.

By means of a mechanism such as above described I attain the following important advantages:

First. A better distribution of steam through a more perfect valve-action than any of which I am aware as applied to locomotives, as a careful study of the principles governing the action of the valve will show that the valve for admission is completely closed before the valve on the exhaust side commences to close and that the exhaust-valve is wide open before the valve for admission commences to open; also, a more rapid opening and a quicker closing of the admissionvalve is attained by means of the wrist-plate action than is practicable by any other known .means, thus letting steam into the cylinders at a higher pressure at the beginning of the piston-stroke and cutting it off by a more decisive action, thereby avoiding wiredrawing and getting better results from expansion, and in addition to this giving a much more free exhaust.

Second. It is a well-known fact that in locomotives running at a high rate of speed it is much more difficult to exhaust steam from the cylinders than it is to admit steam. Thisis principally due to the fact that with link-motion and slide-valve in general use engines are invariably run with the link raised toward a more central position as the speed in- Y creases, thus cutting off the period of admission shorter and not yonly using steam more economically, but reducing the amount of steam to be exhausted. One of the defects, however, of this method is that shortening the period of admission also contracts the opening for exhaust and chokes the free exhaust just at the time it is most needed. Another defect is that as the cut-off is shortened the lead of the valve is correspondingly increased, these two facts resulting in more compression and preadmission than are necessary to cushion the piston, and a very decided back pressure is thereby created, which causes a serious loss of power and makes it difficult and expensive to attain as high a rate of speed as is frequently desired. These defects are fully overcome by the mechanism herewith described for lowering and raising the bearing upon which the wrist-plate rotates, for it is apparent that as the link approaches a central position, thus lowering the Wrist-plate bearing and a consequent change in the relative adjustment of the valves, the

vincreased lead is counteracted and rendered as nearly uniform for the different points of IOO IIO

cut-off as is desired and at the same time the I other valve is readjusted in` an oppositeA direction, causing the exhaust side to open zarlier and close later in proportion as thecutoft is shortened, thus causing an earlier prerelease and a later compression as well as less preadmission. The exact amount of this changeable adjustment desired must be determined by the designer in proportioning the parts to fill the requirements for the service expected of each engine built, as either a uniform or any desired variation of lead is practic able under this form of invention. It will be observed that this changeable adjustment is equally operative for the back-up as well as the forward motion.

Third. The amount of lead can be changed in an engine constructed upon this plan to meet the requirements of different kinds of service in a few minutes by turning the adjusting-rod, either lengthening or shortening its connection between the eccentric c and the crank-shaft Z. Y

Fourth. The arrangement of the steam-passages from the smoke-box to the cylinders is claimed to be a decided improvement, as the passage J for steam from the boiler is sur-y rounded on three sides by the passages N for the exhaust, thus lessening very materially loss of heat by radiation to the steam before it has done its work and allowing it to reach the steam-chest at practically boiler-pressure, while the very large passages for the exhaust tend to increase the freedom with which the cylinder is cleared after the steam has done its work, and the plan of having two exhaustpassages entirely disconnected until they nearly reach the nozzle enables them to become more nearly cleared in the interval between each exhaust.

Fifth. The construction of the rocker-arm,

as shown in Fig. 9, with the upper and lower ends directly opposite each other secures excellent mechanical action, and the valve-gear, as shown in the drawings, is placed in compact form and arranged inside the frame and wheels close to the center of the engine. 1 While my invention is shown in the foregoing as peculiarly applicable to locomotiveengines, it is clearly apparent that many features of this invention are lequally applicable to stationary engines.

While I have particularly described and stated the function and purpose of the valvegearing, I desire it understood that that subj ect-matter has been made the subject-matter of a separate application, iled August l, 1901, Serial No. 79,511, and that by not claiming` it herein I have not abandoned or dedicated any feature or invention therein contained.

I claiml. The combination with a cylinder, and a steam-chest, of a substantially semicircular valve-seat in the steam-chest, a substantially semicircular live-steam chamber concentric with said valve-seat, a curved valve working between said seat and chamber, said valve, steam chamber and chest having ports adapted to register in one position of the valve, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a steam-cylinder, and a steam-chest, of a substantially semicircular valve-seat in the steam-chest, a substantially semicircular livesteam chamber concentric with said valve seat, a curved valve working between said seat and chamber, said steam chamber and chest having ports adapted to establish communication between the steam chamber and cylinder in one position of the valve, said steam-chamber being movable and held against the valve by steam-pressure, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a cylinder, and a steam-chest, of a substantially semicircular valve-seat in said steam-chest, a substantially semicircular live-steam chamber concentric with said valve-seat, a curved valve working between KSaid live-steam chamber and said valve-seat, yokes connected to said valve and having journals mounted in said steam-chest, one of said journals extending through the walls of the chest, and operating means for said valve connected to said journal, substantially as described.

4. The combination with an oscillating steam-admission valve, of a relief-valve carried thereby for relieving excessive cylinderpressure, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a steam-chest, of a live-steam passage communicating therewith, and exhaust-steam passages partially surrounding saidlive-steam passage, substantially as described.

I 6. The combination with a cylinder and a steam-chest, of partitions dividing said chest` into separated exhaust-passages adapted to communicate directly with the ports to the cylinder, a live-steam passage located between and partially surrounded bythe exhaust-steam passages, and live-steam chambers in the chest with which said live-steam passage -directly connects, substantially as describe d.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

Y oTIs w. YOUNG. Vitnesses.

C. W. Wiens, C. E. BUNDY.

IIO 

